"I'm telling you, he's dead." Finn declared, nervously poking his head out the door of the boys dorm.

"Oh come on! So he's a little late for curfew, that doesn't mean she killed him." Jowan wasn't sure who he was trying to convince; Finn, or himself.

Finn spun away from the door, keeping his grip on the handle. "Balin's never late! He would sooner let a dragon burn him alive then to keep someone waiting."

"Finn has a point." Anders commented, nervously twiddling his fingers. "Balin has always been too kind to keep us waiting….he's sweet like that." A slight blush creeped over his cheeks.

"I'm telling you guys, she finally snapped and did him in!" Finn concluded, turning his attention back to the door.

"But it's only been a week since they started hanging out, what do you think went wrong?" Another boy, about the same age as Finn spoke up.

"Who knows? Maybe she just got hungry." He replied.

"Don't be dumb! She's not gonna eat him!"

Finn released his grip on the door handle, moving back into the room. "What makes you so sure, Owain?"

"Because girls don't do that!" He countered.

"How would you know? And besides, are we even sure she's a girl, and not a demon?"

"Can girls even get possessed?" Jowan asked.

"I heard from two Templars, that not only can girls be possessed by demons, same as boys, but that it happens at least once a month." Anders chimed in.

The boys all gasped in horror.

"No way!" One of them cried out.

"Yeah! Apparently, they call it the Cycle." He explained.

They all shivered in fear.

"No wonder we have separate bunks. Can you imagine?"

"It makes me glad I'm a boy." Finn added.

"I'm glad you're a boy, too." Anderson replied, a coy smile on his face.

A knock at the door made them all jump in surprise. Finn nervously approached the handle and opened the large wooden frame. Through the small crack in the door he could make out a familiar face.

"Balin?!"

"Yeah, it's me. Would you hurry up and let me in?" His eyes were darting around the hallway, watching for Templars.

"What happened to you? We were sure you were dead!" Finn exclaimed, with no small amount of relief. He was barely visible from the small crack in the door.

His comment threw Balin off track. "What? Why would you…" He shook it off. "Just hurry up and open the door! I don't want to get in trouble!"

"Right, sorry!" Finn quickly opened the door wide enough to allow Balin to fit through. The tiny initiate squeezed inside.

"By the way, I have a guest."

"A guest? What do you mean a…"

No sooner had he begun to ask then another person, hand interlocked with Balin's, squeezed in through the small opening in the doorway. The boys all jumped in both surprise, and horror.

"How's it going, little baby mages?" Braith sneered at them.

"It's the demon!"

"Quick, everyone hide!"

"The Cycle has begun!"

They all began running around like chickens with their heads cut off, ducking under beds and hiding behind furniture.

"Hey! Guys calm down! What are you on about?" Balin looked around in utter confusion at the spectacle.

"Why is she here?!" Finn asked, a chair raised above his head.

"I invited her." Balin calmly explained.

"You...you did?" He blinked a few times in disbelief, finally lowering the chair.

The others slowly came out of hiding, keeping a wary eye on her. She stood with her arms crossed, a scowl on her face. Her eyes were cast off to the side as if she was ignoring them, her cheeks slightly flushed. None of them spoke for a moment, each with the same look of bewilderment on their face.

"Why would you invite her here?" Jowan asked. Still not quite comprehending

Balin awkwardly scratched the back of his head. "Well...because-"

"Because I'm sick and tired of staying with the Chantry Sisters! It's boring!" She interjected, loudly stomping her foot.

They all instinctively took two steps backwards

"Balin told me you guys sometimes stay up late and tell ghost stories, I thought it sounded like fun so I wanted in…" She continued refusing to make eye contact with any of them. If they didn't know better, they would have thought she was embarrassed. "So are we gonna tell stories or what?"

"Umm...Balin? Are you sure about this?" Finn asked nervously, pulling him aside.

He blinked at Finn. "Yeah, I'm sure. Why wouldn't I be?" He asked sincerely.

"Well...she's Braith for one...but I mean….also…."

"She's a girl!" Anderson finished for him.

"What's that got to do with anything!" She shot back. Anderson immediately hid back under the table.

"Girls aren't allowed in the boys room!" Finn explained. He was clearly uncomfortable having this conversation.

"Yeah! We don't want to get in trouble." Owain added.

They all nodded in agreement.

She scowled at them, turning her head back towards the door. "Fine...I get it."

They all sighed in relief. She snapped her head back at them, a wicked smile across her lips.

"I guess that means you'll just have to be extra super duper careful tonight then, and not get caught staying up. Because I'm not going anywhere!"

"And as they turned around...they knew...the staff of Count Grimgor was haunted! Ooooooooo"

Jowan waved his hands about, imitating the ominous noises and movements of a spooky ghost. The children, all seated in a semi-circle around him, stared blankly as he finished his story. Not a murmur among them.

"Is that it?"Braith finally asked.

He slumped his shoulders. "Yeah...that's it."

"Seriously? That one wasn't scary at all!" She complained.

"It wasn't that bad!" He responded indignantly. "You liked it, right Balin?" He turned to his friend for confirmation.

"Sorry Jowan...I kinda like your other story better." He offered an apologetic smile.

Jowan hung his head dejectedly. "Great, now you tell me."

The group all burst into laughter. Despite their initial unease with Braith's presence they were actually having a lot of fun. Whenever someone got up to tell a story, she would loudly blurt out what the whole group was secretly thinking. Whether it was boring, or funny, or horrifying. She made it clear which ones were her favorites, usually stories involving The Grey Wardens, and which ones she didn't care about, usually whatever story Jowan came up with. Her abrasive personality added an element of comedic revelry to the otherwise grim little dorm room. And as they spun tales far into the night, the boys really began to open up to her, accepting Braith as an honorary member of their little group. At least for the time being.

"So who's going next?" Jowan asked, taking a seat next to Balin.

"I'll go." Braith offered.

"Really? You have a story?" Finn asked curiously.

She grinned wickedly at him, standing up with her hands on her hips. "Sure do. And this one will scare your socks off, I promise ya!"

They were all instantly intrigued.

"Well what are you waiting for? Go ahead!"

Braith eagerly took center stage, preparing herself for what they all hoped would be the best story of the night. Balin smiled at her, he was happy to see his new friend getting along with everyone.

"Tonight, I'm going to be telling a story of the scariest form of magic in all the land." She hunched over as she spoke, a sinister look on her face.

The boys all leaned into their chairs as she continued.

"A story of magic so evil and wicked that even grown men pee themselves in terror! Blood magic."

Balin's smile vanished. All the color and life in his face drained away. A memory, buried deep from within his subconscious, began to rear its ugly head. He began to tremble ever so slightly, sweat forming on his brow. Jowan, instantly seeing his friend in distress, put an arm around him in reassurance. Worry etched onto his face.

"Umm, Braith...maybe that one's not such a good idea." He offered.

"What's the matter, Jowan? You chicken?" She teased.

"You're right, Braith! I think he is. Bawk bawk bawk." Finn began joining in on the fun, flapping his arms like a small bird.

"We're not supposed to talk about that!" He countered. "Besides! You know Balin doesn't like hearing about it."

"You're both just chicken!" Owain joined in.

"Yeah! Chicken!"

"Chicken!"

The boys all began chanting 'chicken' in unison at both of them, all except Anderson, who shared Jowan's look of deep concern for Balin. As the chanting continued, Jowan became increasingly annoyed.

"Listen! We shouldn't be talking about this! It's evil! Pure evil!"

"It's okay Jowan." Balin perked up, righting himself in his seat.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm no chicken!" He spoke confidently. "Let Braith tell her story, she hasn't had a chance to go yet." He had buried any trace of fear he might have had into the back of his mind.

"Alright! Balin's in!" Finn cheered.

"I knew he'd come around."

"Come on Jowan, sit down already! Let Braith tell her story!" The boys all pestered him.

"I...fine." He finally relented, still worried for his friend.

Braith began her tale. A sordid account of an encounter with a Blood Mage she overheard one of the Templars talking about. He spoke of how these mages used the inherent power in their own blood, or even the blood of others to fuel spells that twisted and corrupted their victims minds and bodies. According to the Templars account, Blood Magic originated in the ancient Tevinter Imperium. Where powerful mages would keep hundreds of slaves on hand to use in their cruel blood rituals. They say that, in addition to using two thirds of the Lyrium in the entire Empire, the Tevinter also sacrificed hundreds of thousands of lives to rip open the veil, the bridge between the fade and the mortal realm. This was how they invaded the Golden City, the seat of the maker. It is also said, though these were only rumors, that it was the corrupting power of Blood Magic that ultimately twisted the Golden City, tainting it black and twisting all who stood within it. In the end, even The Maker himself could not remain, so great was the corrupting influence of Blood Magic. These were the true first Darkspawn. Or as the Templar put it. Agents of the Corrupting Blood.

A hush fell over the crowd as her story concluded.

"Wow...I've got chills." Finn finally spoke up, pointing to the goosebumps forming on his arms.

"Me too. I think that was the best one so far!" Owain added.

"Great job, Braith. That one was really scary!

The boys all began to cheer for her, she was eating up the attention.

"Heh, I knew you boys would like it." She stated with pride. "What did you think, Balin?"

"Yeah...it was great." He offered her a small smile, twirling a lock of hair between his fingers.

She frowned, something didn't seem right with him. He avoided looking at her the entire time she told her story. And now he seemed...nervous. She wanted to scare him, but maybe she went a bit too far.

Finn yawned, stretching his arms over his head. "Well, I don't know about you guys, but I'm beat. I think it's time we all got some sleep."

"Yeah, I think so too." Owain added. "Braith, there's a spare bunk next to Balin's if you wanna use that."

"Okay! Sounds good." She beamed. "Err, I mean...as long as Balin's okay with that."

He gave her a confused look. "Why wouldn't he be?"

Her face turned crimson, a rare sight for the Boys. "Well...you know."

"No, I don't. What are you talking about?" He cocked his head at her, completely oblivious to what she was referring to.

"Forget it, Owain. It's okay. She can sleep next to me tonight." Balin finally broke the awkward conversation.

Braith gave him a joyful smile. Despite herself, she had had a lot of fun tonight. More so than she had ever thought possible in the Tower. She just wished, however, that Balin had enjoyed her story more.

"We should get to bed you guys, if any of us fall asleep in lecture tomorrow, then Miss Wynne will know we were up all night."

Red. Nothing but the color red was all the little boy could see. Red in his hair, red on his hands, red in his clothes, and red forming a slippery puddle in the floor he now sat in. The boy, no older than four, cried out for his mother. But there was no answer. Above him a woman hovered four feet in the air. Blood draining in floating pools from her wrists, from her legs, and from her neck. Her pale, dead eyes, glazed over and rolled into the back of her skull. A figure stood over her naked body, eyes like two beady little marbles, dark yellow and crazed. A scraggly beard with a twist at the end, a bald head, but most of all...that grin. That yellow toothed grin, followed by the hideous cackle, as the life drained from her body, and into his.

The children awoke to the sound of a blood curdling scream. Balin was sitting up, hands at his side as he cried out for his mother over and over again. Braith, startled by the unexpected commotion, fell out of her bed, hitting the floor with a thud.

Jowan was already at his friend's side the moment he started to hear him scream. Balin was curled up in the fetal position, rocking back and forth. By the glazed over look in his eye, it was clear he wasn't awake. Jowan had seen this happen many times before, and he knew there was only one person who could help him.

"Owain! Run and go get Miss Wynne right now! Tell her it happened again!" He shouted.

Owain, fully aware of what he meant, quickly darted out of the boys dorm to get their teacher. Braith groaned, slowly sitting up off the floor as she looked to see what was going on. A small group of concerned boys had gathered around Balin's cot. As she began to realize who was screaming, she suddenly sprang up, knocking over several kids to get to him.

"What's going on?! Why is he screaming?!" She asked frantically.

"He's having the nightmare again!" Jowan explained over the sound of his friends violent sobs.

"The nightmare? What nightmare?" She asked.

"Last time this happened, he knocked over every bookshelf in the room!" Anders commented, already grabbing a nearby bedpost.

She was clueless to what was going on. But seeing him convulse, sob, and scream in terror the way he was was too much for her to handle. She went to grab him, but Jowan stepped in front of her.

"You can't!" He stretched out his arms, forming a barrier.

"Out of the way, Jowan! I have to help him!" She yelled, attempting to get past him

He grabbed her by the arm, tugging desperately. "No! You don't understand, you can't touch him when he gets like this!"

She turned her head back at him, not understanding. "What do you mean?"

At that moment, the furniture around them began to tremble, causing the whole room to vibrate; knocking over flower pots, dropping paintings to the floor, and taking chips out of the walls.

"Maker's breath, here we go again!" Finn yelled, moments before he was hoisted up into the air by an invisible force.

Braith let out a startled shriek as she too was hoisted up into the air. One by one they were all lifted off the ground by the same force, along with all the furniture. They squealed and squirmed about. Finn twisted about, flipping completely upside down. Anders maintained a death grip on a nearby chandelier.

"What do we do?!" Braith yelled, flailing around in the air as she desperately reached for something to grab onto.

"Just hang on!" Jowan yelled back, maintaining his grip on a nearby bedpost.

The door to the boys dorm suddenly flew open. Wynne carefully stepped into the room, a blue aura surrounding her entire body. She lifted a single hand up into the air and produced a pulse of white light that enveloped the entire room. All the furniture, chairs, and beds, along with every single child were unceremoniously dumped back onto the floor. Some of the kids landed in soft beds, while an unlucky few, Braith included, crashed down onto the hard stone.

Finn groaned, rubbing his aching behind as he stood back up. "Why do I always have the worst possible landing?" He complained.

"Is everyone alright?" Wynne asked calmly.

"Miss Wynne!" Anders called for help, still dangling from the chandelier.

She quickly ran to the child just as his grip began to give way, catching him before he hit the hard floor.

"Maker. You sure are getting heavy, child." She commented, putting him back down on the ground. "Is everyone else okay?"

A few children nodded their heads, the others just sort of grunted and groaned a reluctant yes. They quickly helped each other up, and began picking up nearby furniture and righting up tables. In the confusion and chaos, Braith had managed to find a place under a nearby bed to tuck away and hide. She couldn't afford to let any of the adults see her after she had snuck out of bed.

Wynne sighed in relief, turning her attention to the still violently shaking Balin. She quickly ran to the child and wrapped her arms around him.

"There there, young one. Everything is okay." She cooed.

"It happened again, didn't it Miss Wynne? The nightmare triggered his magic." Jowan was busy restacking a pile of books.

"I'm afraid so. You boys need to head outside for a moment. The templars will be coming soon."

Braith backed further into the wall, making sure she was completely out of site. The other children quickly did as instructed and left. From beneath the bed, the young girl could see everything. Wynne gently rocked the trembling boy in her arms, touching his forehead with her palm. A small, blue light began to radiate from her hand, Balin's trembling mercifully stopped as he slipped back into blissful rest. She quietly laid him back down in bed just as the armored sound of Templar Knights entering the room could be heard. First Enchanter Irving, and Knight Commander Greagor, Braith's father, were with them.

"Andraste's blood, look at this mess!" Greagor commented angrily, picking up a smashed ceramic jar.

"All things considered, it could have been worst." Wynne tried to assure him.

"Worst?! Look at this place, it's as if a bloody hurricane rolled through here." He chucked the piece onto the floor, shattering it.

"The boy has incredibly powerful magic." First Enchanter Irving commented, observing the damage. The wizened old mage kept a calm, indifferent demeanor as compared to the red hot temper the head of the Templars was displaying. "No doubt this little mess is the result of another lapse in control, likely the result of powerful emotions." He continued. "Wynne, would you not agree?"

She nodded, stroking the boys hair. "Yes. The boy has night terrors." She explained. "But my enchantments were supposed to keep them in check. I'm not sure what could have triggered him this time."

"This is the third time this month, Wynne! You assured us both that these 'emotional outbursts' would cease!" Commander Greagor was red hot.

"Knight Commander, I am doing everything I can. You must show some patience. At least no one was hurt."

"This time!" He retorted. "But how many more of these outbursts before he rips open the veil?"

"I assure you that will not happen."

"You also assured me that their would be no more disturbances, and yet here we are. I'm done listening to you, Wynne. If something isn't done about this, I will have no choice but to order the boy be made tranquil!"

From below, Braith gasped in horror.

"You can't! He's just a child for pity's sake." Tears formed in Wynne's eyes. "Have you no heart, Commander?"

"I must consider the safety of the other children, not to mention my own men." He declared with finality.

"Greagor, if I might interject." Irving spoke up again. "We have so few mages with the raw potential that this boy possess. To strip him of everything at such a young age, would be a terrible waste."

"And what if this happens again?" He gestured to the giant mess the boy left behind. "What if, next time, the boy rips open the veil and becomes possessed by a demon? Imagine what a terrible abomination he would turn into." The two Templars who had followed Greagor into the room shuddered at the thought.

"I assure you the Circle is more than equipped to deal with one, abnormally gifted youngster." The First Enchanter reassured. "If you're still not convinced, then I will go so far as to oversee the boys studies from this moment forward. We will reign in his power and get it under control, I assure you."

After a moment, the Knight Commander finally calmed down, the redness in his face subsiding. "Fine, Irving. We do it your way. But if this blows out of control it's entirely on you. Am I clear?" He pointed directly at the First Enchanter.

"Perfectly, Knight Commander." There was a hint of annoyance in his otherwise unflappable manner..

"Very well then, I'll leave you two to clean this mess up."

With that, the Knight Commander and his men left the room, leaving Wynne and the First Enchanter alone with the unconscious Balin. Wynne collapsed onto the bed, wrapping the sleeping boy up in her arms like a mother protecting her son.

"Maker bless you, First Enchanter. If they had taken him...I'm not sure I could bear seeing that." She began to well up again.

Irving sighed. "You have nothing to thank me for, Wynne." He looked around at the catastrophe. "Nothing has changed until I convince Greagor that the boy is safe. I'll need time to prepare him for his new studies." Irving made a mental list of everything he would need. "In the meantime, I think I have a few old trinkets somewhere in the reliquary that may be able to help him."

"I just wish their was more we could do." She stroked the boy's hair gingerly. "The trauma he went through at such a young age, it's no wonder he has such terrible dreams."

"And with dreams being the bridge that links us to the fade, the source of our magic, it is no wonder he has such terrible bursts of power." Irving mused. "But before we discuss this any further, perhaps we should see to our little guest hiding under the bed."

Braith squeaked in surprise and banged her head against the floorboard. She swore under her breath.

"It's alright child. You can come out now." Wynne reassured in a calm voice.

She slowly crawled out from under her hiding place, covered in dirt from the grimy floor.

"Goodness dear, you're a mess!" Wynne commented incredulously. She placed Balin down and walked over to Braith, kneeling down to begin working on cleaning the messy girl. "Why are you out of bed at this hour?"

She didn't say anything, keeping her gaze cast down to the floor as Wynne cleaned her off.

"If I'm not mistaken, your Greagor's child. Braith, correct?" Irving asked.

"Yes Sir…" She answered quietly, avoiding eye contact.

"What are you doing down here in the middle of the night, young lady? The Sister's must be worried sick about you." Wynne scolded, still scrubbing the dirt off her with a rag she kept in her robes.

"They don't know I'm gone, and I didn't want my father to see me here." She kept herself small, fidgeting with her ponytail as she spoke.

"Goodness me…" Wynne sighed. "You young ones are going to send us old folk into an early grave one of these days, I swear."

"I'm sorry…"

"It's okay dear, just be more mindful of when you…"

"No...you don't understand…" Tears began to well up in her eyes. "I'm sorry...it's my fault that all this happened." She began to tremble.

Irving and Wynne shared a look of confusion with one another.

"What do you mean, child?" He asked, calmly.

"We were all telling ghost stories...and mine was really really scary. I think that's what did it. It was about Blood Magic."

"Oh...oh dear." Wynne frowned.

"Well, that explains a lot. At least we now know it wasn't your enchantments that failed, Wynne." Irving remarked.

"You're not going to let my father make him tranquil are you, First Enchanter?" She stared up at him with pleading eyes, tears streaming down her face. "I've seen the tranquil mages in the tower. It's like there's nothing in them, no joy, no pain, no hope. Becoming tranquil robs you of your ability to feel magic...along with everything else!" Her bottom lip quivered as fresh tears formed in her eyes. "Please! Please, don't let him become tranquil! He's the only friend I have!" She buried her face in her hands and began to sob uncontrollably.

Wynne wrapped her arms reassuringly around the young girl. "Do not fret, my dear. I promise you, we will do everything in our power to take care of young Balin here."

She raised her head. "R….really?" She sniffled.

"Yes." Wynne wiped the girl's face with the sleeve of her robe. "And I believe there is something you can do to help us."

The next day was business as usual. The boys had a very special private lecture from Wynne on why girls do not become possessed by demons once a month, and the rest of the day flew by without further incident. Balin was called out early to see First Enchanter Irving, which had the children abuzz in gossip. Irving would sometimes walk in on a lecture to see how they were doing, but he never singled out any individual Apprentice before. Let alone took them up to his office.

"So what did the First Enchanter want to speak with you about, you're not in trouble are you?" Jowan asked, as the two of them walked back from the library.

"It wasn't anything like that. He just wanted to know how I was doing in my studies, whether or not was I was happy here, if there was anything I wanted to talk about, it was weird." Balin commented, fiddling with a small, metallic blue ring on his right hand. Ancient runes were carved into its circumference, and it glowed faintly with magical power.

"How long is he gonna make you wear that ring?" Jowan asked curiously.

"I don't know, he wouldn't tell me. Just that I was supposed to keep it on all day. It feels weird though, it's really cold, and it makes me tired all the time."

Jowan frowned. "Well, hopefully he won't make you wear it for very long."

As they walked out to the courtyard, the two were stopped by a familiar face.

"Braith?"

The normally fiery redhead looked subdued. Like she was weighed down by some sort of guilt. She stared at Balin with a mournful expression on her face, her arms crossed gingerly behind her back.

"Umm...hey Balin." She didn't look at him while she spoke, twirling her ponytail around her pointer finger as she did so.

"Hey." He replied awkwardly.

"How are you feeling?"

"Much better now, Jowan filled me in on what happened. I'm sorry you had to see me like that."

She perked up, an incredulous look on her face. "Wait...why are you apologizing to me?"

He stared at the ground, twirling a lock of his hair around his finger. "I was afraid I might of scared you." He admitted. "Sometimes I get these weird dreams, and then stuff flies around and I make a mess. It's really embarrassing." He blushed slightly.

She couldn't believe what she was hearing. After everything she did to him he still genuinely wanted to be nice to her. Wynne was right, this boy was different from the others. Braith smiled, covered her lips, and turned her face away, giggling like an idiot at him.

"What's so funny?" He asked.

"It's nothing." She quickly walked over and wrapped her arms around him, pulling him in close to her. Both boys were visibly shocked by the sudden display of affection from the normally blunt and angry Braith.

"I know how you feel. My mom died too."

He breathed in sharply. After a moment, he hugged her back, wrapping his arms gently around her waist. The two held each other for awhile, before finally letting go. She was beaming at him, her hazel eyes fixed on his.

"From now on, I'm gonna protect you. And you're never gonna have that stupid nightmare ever again."

Authors Note: The next few chapters will likely cover a similar theme. That of younger versions of the main characters. I'm just trying to flesh out the relationship Balin shares with his friends, especially Braith and Jowan. I start skipping forward a few years next chapter, for anyone worried about being trapped in the prepubescent years. As always, feel free to review and comment!